2019 Economic Impact Report Shows Lyft is connecting Baltimore communities, creating a seamless city living experience

Lyft today announced its annual Economic Impact Report in Baltimore. The report measured the benefits Baltimoreans and their communities have seen when it's easy to get a reliable, affordable ride around their city. In 2018 alone, riders spent and additional $37M in Baltimore due to the availability of Lyft, and, 40% of Lyft riders in Baltimore have used Lyft to get to medical appointments, above the average of 29% for riders nationwide.

Lyft began as an unconventional way to improve transportation and connect communities by helping people share the ride. Since then, Lyft has become a critical part of and partner with city transportation. The report indicates that companies like Lyft are increasingly helping create a seamless city living experience by making it easier for people to get around and experience Baltimore.

Some of the benefits cities have seen from Lyft can be attributed to partnerships with residents through the Ditch Your Car initiative and more than 60 breweries, wineries and distilleries through the Ride Smart Maryland initiative, which have both continued to help the Baltimore community by raising awareness about alternative transportation options and by aiming to reduce impaired driving.

“Every day, people are using Lyft in Baltimore as a way to connect with their community, support local businesses, and commute more efficiently. This is having a dramatic and real impact on our city by enabling riders to move around seamlessly and drivers to earn on their own time,” said Lyft General Manager, Steve Taylor. “As Lyft works to better knit together North American cities, including through bikes and scooters, we hope to continue to find new ways to invest in the local Baltimore economy.”

Baltimore 2019 Economic Impact Report highlights:

• Using Lyft, riders saved 3M hours compared to other transportation modes – which translates to time savings valued at $79.5M
• 55% of riders explore more areas of their city as a result of using Lyft
• 97% of drivers say ?a flexible schedule is very ?or extremely important
• 38% of riders spend more at local businesses as a result of using Lyft
• 74% are less likely to drive substance impaired due to the availability of Lyft
• 90% drive fewer than 20 hours per week
• 50% of vehicle owners use their cars less because of Lyft.
• 40% of healthcare riders state that without Lyft they would be less likely to make it to their appointments regularly.
• 43% of riders do not own a car.

The full survey results for Maryland and all others can be found here.